She kissed Captain JeanLuc Picard
by Longbourn22
Summary: Team meets Hotch's new girlfriend.  Emily trying to get over Hotch. Will she? She does something unexpected and Hotch reacts to it. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

So, it has been a while since I posted anything. College and writer's block are cramping my life at the moment but I did manage to squeeze this out.

Big thank you to you,TigerLily888, this story would not have been if it weren't for you!

This is a two-parter story.

No precise timeline but post S07-10 and it's an AU story.

Disclaimer: I do not own CM or its characters, as well as Star Trek : The Next Generations and Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

Enjoy!

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She Kissed Captain Jean-Luc Picard!

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It was Friday night at the bar for the BAU team, back from another horrific case out of town. Everyone in the team agreed to meet at the bar to de-stress.

Hotch was hesitant; he had plans on meeting his new girlfriend, Beth.

Dave suggested that it was time the team meet her. Hotch looked horrified; various scenarios flashed into his mind about the first meeting. Beth would get skewered by his team, especially by Garcia! Dave shook his head and told Hotch that sooner or later, the team would want to meet their boss' gal. Now would be as good a time as any.

Reluctantly, Hotch agreed.

"Look! She is putting her arm on his, now that's a show of possession." JJ remarked, apparently trying out her profiling skills.

Garcia huffed as she sucked her cocktail through the skinny straw, "She is trying so hard to be cheery and make him laugh! And check out those horse teeth!"

Emily snorted her drink through her nose, quickly wiping it with the typical 1ply, 4" by 4" napkin. Trust Garcia to say something like that.

Morgan shook his head as he watched Hotch and Beth who had decided to sit one table away after Hotch had hastily introduced her to the team

"Give her a chance. He's smiling. A happy boss means a happy work place." Dave smiled.

Garcia, JJ and Emily turned their gazes from Hotch and Beth to Dave.

JJ shook her head, "You are joking, right?"

"Could be our boss is having gassy issues." Garcia guffawed.

Reid was reading a book when Morgan snatched it from Reid.

"No reading at the bar. It's the rules." Morgan said, deadpanned.

The ladies and Dave snickered.

Reid frowned as he thought, "Don't recall reading this rule. I did do some online research on bars."

"Oh my god, you didn't! It's a bar! You come in here, get a drink, hang out with your friends or pick up a honey. That's all there is to it. You seriously looked it up online?" Morgan stared at Reid incredulously.

Reid nodded timidly.

Morgan shook his head, "What are we going to do with you, genius?"

Dave stood up, "I'm going to get a drink," and headed for the bar.

Morgan stood up as well, "Come on Reid, let's get you a real man's drink." He literally pulled the younger doctor out of his seat and dragged him off, leaving the three ladies by themselves.

"Oh no she didn't!" Garcia exclaimed. She was back to watching Hotch and Beth.

JJ craned her neck over to where they were sitting, "What? What did she do?"

"She touched his jaw! Does she not know about his personal space?"

Garcia whipped her head around suddenly and glared at Emily, making the brunette jump

"You have not said a word. Aren't you angry at her for stealing him from you? What about with Hotch for flaunting her in your face?"

Emily leaned back unconsciously, trying to dodge Garcia's anger, "Whoa! Easy! First of all, he is not mine. Never have been nor will. He's not interested in me." Emily tried to explain to Garcia but her tone must not have been too convincing when Garcia frowned and looked at her with something akin to pity.

"I'm sorry, Em. But I have to disagree. Sometimes when he looks at you, it's almost like there's a look of hunger in his eyes. I'm sure he has feelings for you, girlfriend."

"PG, don't. I…"

"No way!" Emily and Garcia were interrupted by JJ's exclamation. "She just freaking leaned over and…and…kissed him! In front of everyone!"

Emily couldn't help but felt that flair of jealousy reared up again. Since Hotch appeared at the bar with Beth in tow, holding her hand, Emily felt as if something within her died. Crushed, mashed, and pulverized. She was tempted to cry headache and leave right away but she stayed. She wanted to prove to everyone and herself that he didn't matter anymore.

Everyone in the team knew about her feelings for Hotch. Even Hotch, although he had never said a word to her about it.

It hurt.

She tried to bag those feelings, chuck the bag into a box and sealed it permanently in her mind but at this moment, it was not working.

She pretended to shrug off the scene when Garcia and JJ looked at her sorrowfully, as if they were trying to tell her they sympathize with her.

If they only knew. How much it hurt every time Beth's name was uttered. How much it hurt to see him smiling at Beth; he never did that to her. She thought her heart was cracking apart. How much more could she take?

_Move on!_ Her mind commanded.

_I'm trying!_ Emily told herself.

"Em…I…" Garcia tried to console her.

"Don't, Pen. I don't need pity."

Startled, Garcia tried again, "I'm sorry! I just want you to know, I think he is making a mistake!"

Emily shook her head and said, "Look guys, I'm over him."

JJ and Garcia gave her skeptical looks; you just couldn't turn off crushes just like that!

"Really! I don't feel anything. If he…he…ki…kissed her, it's okay with me." She fumbled; she didn't want to think of that possibility. As long as she didn't witness it, she would be fine.

"Sure Emily. You're saying it now but if he really did, it's a whole different story! Come on, you can tell us."

"Pen, I'm telling you the truth! I have moved on."

JJ shook her head.

"Don't shake your head, Jayje. Okay, I'll prove it to you."

"How?" JJ and Garcia asked at the same time.

Emily looked around and thought. Then she snapped her fingers and said, "I'm going to stand by the door," indicating the entrance/exit. "The first single man that walks in, I'm going to kiss him."

JJ's and Garcia's eyes widened. Then JJ said, "No way Em. You can't do it. You told us not long ago that it's Hotch or bust!"

"I'm telling you guys again. I am moving on."

JJ obviously didn't think Emily would go through with her own dare, so she said, "Prove it."

"I will." Emily said.

"I dog dare you." JJ challenged.

Emily stared at her friend, "Dog dare?"

"Okay, double dog dare!" JJ put her hands on her hips.

Garcia gasped.

"Considered it done." Emily stood up and walked over to the door and waited.

"Why did you dare her? You know she will do it! She's the queen of triple dog dares! You didn't even triple dog dare!"

"I know, because she is probably not going to make it! She is going to chicken out when that door opens and some homely dude walks…oh dear…"

As they talked and watch, the door opened and before they realized it, Emily grabbed the person entering and kissed him hard.

JJ stopped talking and both her and Garcia's mouths formed the shape of an 'O'.

They had not noticed that the table over, Hotch also saw what Emily was doing. He frowned heavily.

"She did it. She freaking did it!" JJ uttered when she found her voice.

"Oh my God! That's Captain Picard!" Garcia exclaimed.

JJ frowned, "Who? Captain? Do you know him?" She stared at the man again.

"You know, Star Trek: The Next Generation. He was the Captain of the Starship Enterprise!"

JJ shook her head, "I don't know what you're talking about. Is he an astronaut?"

Garcia gave JJ an exasperated stare, "Jayje, sometimes your hair color really comes out and…and…oh never mind! Here comes Emily."

Emily smiled, "That was rather interesting and unexpectedly pleasant." She watched as the poor dazed man made his way to the bar, watching Emily warily, as if he was afraid she would ambush him again.

"Wow!" JJ said, "You really did it. I can't believe it, you kissed a total stranger!"

Emily shrugged and sitting down, took a deep drink from her glass. "Double dog dare dared."

"Do you know who that is?" Garcia asked Emily.

Shaking her head, Em replied, "I have no idea. But he sure looked a lot like that actor who played in Star Trek: The Next Generation."

Garcia nodded enthusiastically, "Exactly! But Em! What happens if the first man entered had been some dirty, scruffy old man?"

"I would still have done it." Emily said.

"Hey! Did you see that man? He's a spitting image of Patrick Stewart! Captain Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Incredible!" Reid said as he set his drink down before taking his seat besides Garcia.

"Yeah, we did. And our Emily kissed him." Garcia said proudly.

Reid turned to stare at Emily, his eyes huge and round, "Do you know him?"

Emily shook her head. Reid looked even more confused so Garcia hurriedly told Reid about the dare. Morgan and Dave walked in on the last half of the explanation and they both raised their eyebrows at Emily in amusement.

"The girl's got balls!" Morgan said admiringly.

"I would have bet on it if I'd known." Dave grinned.

"What's a double dog dare? Is this some kind of dog fighting?" asked Reid, looking confused.

The team stared at him in disbelief.

JJ shook her head, "I can't believe it! You guys are praising her for kissing a complete stranger! What if the guy had been the ugliest, toothless, haven't-bathed-in-ten-years stinker?"

"She'd still do it!" Morgan and Dave said together and gave each other high-fives.

Morgan added, "Besides, it was a double dog dare!"

JJ shook her head and downed her drink fast.

"I'm going to go play some darts." She left the group.

Dave stood up as well, "Wait JJ, I'll join you." He took his drink and walked with JJ to a corner of the bar where the dart board was set up.

"So, Princess…double dog dare, huh?" Morgan returned to the topic again.

"Derek, it's done. And over." Emily shook her head. Privately, she was still reeling over the fact that she did it. She had kissed a complete stranger! What had possessed her to do it? Oh, that's right. Hotch. Everything always seemed to come back to him.

_Will I get over him?_ She wondered to herself.

Someone had fed the jukebox and 'Just Once' by James Ingram came on.

Garcia began to sway with the slow tune. Morgan watched her and then, standing up, pulled onto the dance floor. He held her tight, as they swayed to the slow rhythm.

Reid excused himself to the men's room.

_Guess I'm being abandoned._ Emily looked at their table and found herself the only occupant. She sighed, taking a sip of her beer, debating whether to call it a night, as she watched Morgan and Garcia on the dance floor.

Hotch stood up when Beth headed for the ladies' room and began to walk to the table where Emily was sitting when he saw the man she had kissed earlier standing in front of her.

_Does she know him?_ Hotch thought as he stood, watching them.

Emily smiled at the man and Hotch felt as if someone had punched him in his guts. He frowned when she invited the man to sit with her.

This was too much for Hotch. Instead of turning back to his table and waiting for Beth, he marched forward.

"Emily, may I have a word?" Hotch stood in front of her, across from the table.

"Certainly Hotch but as you can see, I'm slightly busy getting acquainted with my new friend."

Hotch turned to face him. The man was in his mid-60s! He could be her father for God's sake. Completely bald, he possessed high cheekbones, piercing eyes and very prominent aquiline nose. Hotch frowned, the man seemed familiar somehow.

Still, prominent looks or not, he was too old for Emily.

"Stewart Patrickson." The man had stood up and introduced himself, his British accent prominent.

Hotch was silent and after an awkward moment, he shook the man's hand, "Aaron Hotchner."

"Please to meet you, Mr. Hotchner. I presume you know this beautiful lady here?"

"I do. We are colleagues."

"Stewart is from Yorkshire, England," Emily provided.

Stewart smiled widely, "Emily, I would love it if you'd have dinner with me tomorrow evening if you're not engaged otherwise." Stewart spoke. Hotch didn't fail to notice the deep, melodious timbre of his voice.

Emily was about to nod when Hotch cut in, "I'm sorry Stewart, but Agent Prentiss will be out of town tomorrow."

"I am?" Emily asked Hotch.

"She is?" Stewart asked, frowning.

"I'm sorry, I'm not at liberty to discuss it in public and it is rather case-sensitive." Hotch felt heat rise in the face at the bold-faced lie. He kept his face impassive when he saw Stewart give Emily and himself a measured look, appearing to be appraising what their relationship is.

"We work in a law enforcement agency." Emily provided.

"Well then, fair Emily, here is my card and please, do call me when you have decided whether to accept my offer. I will be around for a month or so."

Taking the card, Emily smiled, making Hotch grit his teeth in annoyance. "I will. As soon as I'm back in town."

"Well, until then," he bowed slightly and raising her hand, he kissed the back of her hand.

_Bloody Sir Galahad in the 21__st__ century, charming the pants off my agent and she's eating it up. _Hotch glared at Stewart.

Emily blushed deeply; it had been a long while since she was treated like a lady. With a nod to Hotch, he left them, walking up to a couple entering the bar.

Hotch looked extremely irate. What the hell was wrong with him?

"So Hotch, this out of town case?" Emily prompted. She was feeling irritated as well, only this time it was aimed at Hotch. She really liked this Stewart Patrickson. He seemed so old-fashioned and gentlemanly; a rare find. And that sexy voice!

_So, whatever happened to 'Hotch-is-the-perfect-man' ' crush?_ Her alter ego asked her.

_Not now! That crush has got to be boxed up and shelved for the moment… now make it so!_ She told herself.

When Hotch did not reply she looked pointedly at him, "You made this up, didn't you?"

Hotch flushed, looking guilty. _Oh yeah, SSAIC Aaron Hotchner, caught you with your pants down, didn't I?_

Before now, that thought would have been delicious to wallow in, but not now. What with him flaunting his new girlfriend right under her nose.

It was an 'in-your-face' wham for Emily and it was a hard thing to swallow, especially when the whole team knew about her crush on him. She hated the faces her teammates were giving her; the pity looks.

No, no pity, no feeling sorry for Emily looks. She had pride.

If a man, even if he looked like he could be her father, showed interest in her, who was she to say no? His most favorable trait was his dashing looks. He had dressed casually for the evening but Emily could tell his clothing were very fine and not from some dime and nickel superstores.

"Pre…Emily, you don't know who he is and that British accent, that could be an act."

"Hotch, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

"I know, but what if…"

Emily was starting to feel incensed. "Look Hotch, when you first met your…girlfriend, did you know anything about her? No. That's the whole point of going on a date to find out about the other person."

Hotch could not rebut that statement as it was the truth. That had been why he had gone out with Beth after their unusual meeting.

He felt like a heel but for the life of him, he couldn't explain this feeling he had for Emily. She was just his subordinate and his co-worker. That was all. Well, he had come to value her more than just colleague. She was a good friend, too.

_Was it all there is to that? A good friend? _Hotch frowned, not liking at the direction of his thoughts.

"Hotch," She continued. "I haven't gone out with someone in a long time. I just want to talk about normal things for once. No murders, no UnSubs, no killings. Just plain talking."

Hotch now felt smaller than a flea. He had nearly ruined it for her. How selfish he was. After all, he was here with his girlfriend who did not work within the law enforcement agency. He too craved human companionship, thus he was willing to try it out with Beth. So who was he to deprive Emily for wanting the same thing?

"You're right, Emily. I'm sorry." He turned to leave but Emily stopped him.

"Wait, that's it? That's all you have to say? That I'm right? And you're sorry?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I shouldn't have interfered in your personal life. For that, I am sorry…"

"Is there a problem?" Beth came up and stood beside Hotch, putting her hand on his arm.

Emily saw that as a sign that she was laying a claim on Hotch. _Possessive bitch! Oh. She obviously still had some work to do on the whole compartmentalizing Hotch exercise._

Hotch turned to her, a slight frown on his brows. "It's work. I was telling Em...Prentiss that something came up and we have to be at work tomorrow morning."

Beth's cheery face fell, "But I thought we were going to do breakfast tomorrow morning?" She pouted.

Emily's eyebrows arched. On any other guy, her pout would have worked, but not Hotch. Beth hadn't learnt that yet.

"I'm sorry Beth. It's important." Turning to Emily he told her, "Tomorrow, 9am. Good night."

"9am, sir," Emily acknowledged. Hotch had turned to leave but pause briefly when he heard the nuance at her acknowledgement.

Beth looked from Hotch to Emily, then back at Hotch again. She looked confused; as if there was something going on that she couldn't put a finger on it. She followed Hotch as he headed for the exit.

"Hotch is leaving?" Reid sat back down as he saw them leaving.

"Yeah, I guess I should too." Emily took a few more sips of her beer. "Long day tomorrow from what I gathered from Hotch."

Reid frowned but before he could ask, laughter from the darts corner caught their attention.

"Looks like our hustler is at it again. I bet she's betting big with Dave." Emily chuckled as she stood up.

"JJ is a hustler?"

Emily stared at Reid and shook her head, "You are hopeless Dr. Spencer Reid. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Good night."

Reid gave her a questioning look.

Emily waved at him and left. As she walked out, she saw two things; Reid's confused look and Stewart's stare as well as him raising his glass to her.

Her mind was in a jumbled. Reid's look of confusion made her uneasy. Stewart Patrickson still looked interested, and interesting. As for Hotch, she couldn't help felt he was up to something. _Just what the hell are you up to, Aaron Hotchner?_

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End of Part 1

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So, let me know what you thought of this so far!

Thank you!

Lizzie


	2. Chapter 2

And here is the conclusion.

This story wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for Tiger_Lilly888 and her wonderful beta'ing! Thank you!

And most of all, thank you to all of you! Your reviews are awesome balm to my heart! Those who fave and alert this story, thank you, thank you! Love you all!

Enjoy!

…

She Kissed Captain Jean-Luc Picard!

Part 2

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On Saturday morning, Emily was at the BAU by 830am. She didn't get much sleep the night before. Her dreams had been crazy; she dreamt of Captain Picard in her room, and then on a surface of an alien planet and they were kissing while Hotch was floating in space repeatedly calling her name. The following dream had been much more interesting involving a threesome. Again it featured Picard, Hotch and her. The sexual acts were so vivid she woke up still panting, calling out Hotch's and Picard's names alternately.

Not wanting to fall asleep again and being afraid of more weird dreams, she got up and began to pace about her living room. Her cat, Sergio, was not happy about being awaken so early in the morning. After a dark look at his owner, he settled down on the couch and promptly fell asleep again.

Emily's mind was in turmoil; she wanted to move on, yet Hotch still persisted in her dreams. She had to admit she wouldn't have minded going out with this Picard look-alike. She stopped pacing as she recalled her dream where it was just him and her and a bed in a room where a colored mist weaved about them seductively, adding more to the sensuality she was feeling. When she had woken up from that dream, she had found herself very wet.

Unsurprisingly her next dream had been Hotch. She shook her head, trying to shake him off her mind. Pacing again, she tried to shut Hotch back into that box that seemed to defy her efforts of sealing it.

As the sun began to rise, she sighed reluctantly and began her morning preparations to get herself ready for work. Work on a Saturday! What a pain. She could have been sleeping in, Sergio snuggled against her contently. Before she closed the door to the apartment, she heard her cat meowed once, flashing another cynical stare at his owner before going back to sleep. "At least someone is getting more sleep!" She muttered to herself as she closed the door.

…

As she made her way to the break room to brew some more much needed coffee, she saw that someone had beat her to it. Looking around, and then up, she saw the lights in the conference room was on.

She hadn't been the first to arrive to work.

With a cup of very strong coffee, she made her way to the conference room, ready to face the day…and _him._

"Good morning, Hotch." She tried to sound upbeat.

Hotch looked up from a file he was reading and nodded.

"Prentiss." When she sat down, across from him, he didn't say a word but slid a file to her.

"The Durant case? But I thought we closed this already?" Emily asked when she opened it.

"That's what I thought as well. Sheriff Hanson called last night. There's been another murder. Either we got the wrong person or there is a copycat killer out there." Hotch replied.

Emily frowned, "So, we're back to square one?" As she said it, she noticed three stacked boxes sitting by him on the floor to his left. "Never mind…I think I just answered my question."

Hotch saw her wry look at the boxes and nodded. "We're going to go through the entire case again, from the beginning."

Her eyes widened, "That's going to take…most of the day!"

He nodded.

"Is anyone coming in to help?"

He shook his head.

"Just us?"

He nodded but this time he spoke, "Everyone has plans for this weekend already."

Emily glared at him, "You talked to them?"

"Yes. You're the last."

"But you didn't ask me. You just said we have an out-of-town case."

Hotch watched her quietly, "We do. But I figured you and I can take care of this by ourselves. I didn't want to ruin the rest of the team's weekend."

"And you didn't think of asking me if I have a previous engagement?" The pitch in her voice was rising as well as her anger.

Hotch said succinctly, "Do you?"

Emily wavered slightly, "Well, I … I don't. But I could have." An image flashed across her mind; a vision of a particular bald man.

Hotch narrowed his eyes at the look on her face. "Do you?" He asked again. "If you do, you're excused here."

Emily frowned, "But you'll be doing this alone."

He shrugged his shoulders and tried to get back to the file he was reading before her entrance.

"It'll take you longer." She stated.

"I know."

Her anger began to rise again, this time it was at his nonchalant attitude. Damn him. He was beginning to infuriate her.

A moment ago, she had been ready to leave. But realizing she was placing her feelings before work, she decided to back off. Always conscious of why she applied for the FBI and the BAU, she thought of this case and the victims, in the hands of goodness-knows-who. It was their job to figure out this new UnSub and stopped him or her.

Opening the file Hotch passed it to her; she began to read the case over again.

Less than a minute had passed when Hotch's phone buzzed. He picked it up from the table where he had placed it and answered.

Apparently it was Beth.

Emily tried to tune it out by looking for a writing pad and a pen. Both were in the middle of the desk.

Trying not to look at him was hard. She wanted to see his expression. Was he grinning when he talked to his girlfriend or was he just the same old stoic face?

As it turned out, it was a short conversation. Hotch replaced the phone on the table.

"Hotch, when do you plan on leaving for Henning, Illinois?" She could see that this was turning out to be important.

"Soon. I'm not sure. JJ is looking at another case. She's waiting for a call asking for our assistance."

"Oh. What happens if both are crucial?" She had to ask.

Hotch looked up, "We'll probably split assignments. Since you and I are looking at this, it'll be easier for us to go to Illinois with JJ or Dave. I need Reid and Morgan on the Newman case JJ is waiting on."

Emily nodded, his reasoning, as usual, was sound.

Silence fell in the conference room as they went through old files.

Lunch was announced by Emily's stomach; it was growling with disgruntlement at the lack of sustenance it would normally have gotten by now. It made its displeasure known loudly.

Emily reddened as her stomach gurgled loudly. Hotch, deep into the case, suddenly looked up from his file and around, looking for the source of strange noise.

"Um, it's my stomach. Lunchtime." Emily admitted, embarrassment written on her face.

Flicking his wrist up, he glanced at his watch. It was past 1pm; definitely lunchtime.

As if in agreement with Emily's stomach, his began to gurgle as well.

"I guess our bodies are beginning to mutiny." He said. They began to discuss about their choice of food.

Deciding on the fail-safe, ever popular fast food delivery, they picked Chinese. Hotch called into the BAU's favorite Chinese restaurant and ordered for them.

As soon as their food arrived, Emily attacked hers with gusto. Hotch couldn't help but watched her.

"You'd think you have not eaten in days. Slow down or you'll get heartburn or something."

Emily shook her head as she munched. As soon as she swallowed, she grinned, "Actually I haven't eaten since late afternoon yesterday."

Eyebrow arched, he began to eat, the aromatic smell of his spicy Mongolian Beef overcoming his want to talk.

As they ate, they made a somewhat small talk. The subject was last evening's outing to the bar.

Surprisingly, Hotch opened up to her about Beth. How he met her and their shared interests. As he talked, Emily observed him; she couldn't help but felt as if he was trying to make this relationship work. _Make._ Why would she think of that? "…help her, give her pointers riding her bike…" he droned on, as he chewed on a piece of beef.

_Wait! What?_

"Hotch! Wait!"

His mouth still opened, he looked at her.

"Look, don't take it the wrong way but she's asking you to help her improve her riding skills? Does she know you're not a trainer? How did she know you're training for the marathon? What, she wants to enter a triathlon and yet she's not riding? Come on, this is the lamest excuse ever to meet you."

Hotch glared at her as she spoke; who the hell does she think to tell him about dating?

Emily saw that glare; it was not his usual irate glare. He was angry. The first few months working with him, that glare had terrified her, although she had never told anyone. Now though, that 'laser beam' zapped pass her ineffectively.

"Prentiss…" He began but Emily shook her head.

"Hotch, listen to me, as a friend. Just be careful. That's all I asked, just like you warned me about Stewart Patrickson."

Annoyed, Hotch didn't answer her, but then apparently decided to turn the tables on her, "Speaking of him, are you?"

"Am I what?"

"Going out with him?" He hated that she forced him to ask.

Emily answered reluctantly. "I'm not sure. I do want to but part of me doesn't want to go through the process of dating, and dining and eventually leading to disappointment. Especially in his situation, he is British, long-distance relationship and all that. I don't think I'm cut out for that."

"You're young and virile and a companionship would be nice." _Crap! Did I just say virile to her?_

Emily's face turned red when he mentioned 'virile'._ Did he really just say that to me?_

Fortunately for both, the conference room phone rang, saving both from having to further contemplate the word.

It was the security guard from the lobby; he had called for Hotch because his girlfriend was here.

Hotch frowned; _seriously?_

Emily arched her perfect brows up; _seriously?_

"Um, Agent Hotchner?" the security guard spoke again.

Standing up, he said, "I'll be right down."

"Sorry about this. I'll be back." Hotch said to Emily as he walked out.

She nodded and began reading.

…

Hotch was seething, Emily's words echoing in his head. What did he really see in Beth? Granted, she was someone refreshingly different from the gloominess of his so-far bland life, someone who knew nothing of the horror he and his team saw practically every day. Sure, she lost her dad not long ago but he had died of an illness, he wasn't murdered. Perhaps he was looking for someone similar to Haley? No, Haley and Beth were really different. Beth was much more 'worldly'.

_She wasn't the only one…_Emily Prentiss. In fact she was much more than what Beth , intelligent, tenacious, and did she keep coming back into his thoughts? She was a subordinate, he was her supervisor. There were rules against dating your was not about to ruin both their careers just because his libido dictated he had willingly gone with Beth. She was safe.

But right now he had doubts.

Beth was insecure. Granted, at such an early stage of their relationship, it was understandable. He had given her an edited version of his job as well as the frequency of travelling out of town.

At first she was comfortable with it but last evening, after they had left the bar, she had made her insecurities known to him. She told him she was feeling jealous of the fact that he was working with a couple of beauties. Hotch had assured her that he only had professional relationship with them. He had also assured her that he was not the type to fool around with fellow agents. Beth was slightly appeased, until she found out that Hotch would be working with just Emily, all day today.

That did not sit well with her, ergo her phone calls to Hotch. Finally, when he didn't answer the last six calls, she decided to 'pay' him a visit. She wanted to see for herself that he was really working. Hotch had told her nicely that he was busy, that he would call her as soon as they had completed the case at hand. This time, she was not convinced.

Hotch now saw her uneasiness and didn't like it at all. He expected her to trust him. If she were to doubt him now, what was going to happen down the road when their relationship deepened? No, he was not going through this. He didn't need this complication. Hell, he didn't have time for it.

As his ire rose, he decided to ask Beth a question. The answer would either seal or sever their relationship. He told her that although their relationship was still in its infancy he still expected something from her.

He asked her if she trusted him. She hesitated and then nodded.

To him the hesitation was the crux. He wished she didn't give it away. Her hesitation showed that she was still doubtful and he didn't need that. He was trained in psychology as well as profiling and so far, his profiling on his new girlfriend was beginning to unravel his original impression of her. She was not what he was seeking in companionship.

It was time to end it.

He recalled their conversation at the lobby:

"Beth," he began, his face unreadable. "I don't think we're compatible…"

"Compatible?" Beth frowned at him. "How could you use that word? This is not some match-making online services!"

"I understand that. I apologize for using that word. But the bottom line is I don't think we're going to work out together."

Hands on her hips, she glared at him, "Are you breaking up with me?"

He nodded, "Yes. I think it's for the best."

"It's for the best," she repeated his words. "The best for whom? You? Because you realize that...that whatever-her-name is better for you?"

Hotch smoldered quietly; his patience was low. "Beth, there is nothing going on between Agent Prentiss and I. We're colleagues. There's an important case we're working on at this moment and I really should get back to it."

She was silent; her face flushed.

He spoke again, "Under other circumstances, if I were to be in a different job, we might have made it but I think we'd better end it here before it might get worse."

Her features softened, "Aaron, please, give me another chance. I…I…didn't know what to expect. I mean my last boyfriend was a real piece and it left a bad taste in my mouth. I realize you're different. I'm willing to wait. I'm willing to trust you more. Please?"

Hotch hesitated, should he?

He tried to think further down their relationship and he knew the answer.

"I'm sorry Beth. I don't think that's a good idea. I wish you the best in the triathlon." He quickly moved away from her and began to walk through the check point.

"Aaron!" Beth called out.

Hotch turned around and shook his head again, "Sorry Beth, it's for the best."

"You son of the bitch!" She yelled out, the security personnel stopped at what they were doing and looked at Beth, then at Hotch.

Hotch shook his head, "It's okay. She is leaving."

They nodded hesitantly, keeping a wary eye at her.

Bidding her a good bye again, he hurried back to the other side of the check point and without looking back; he entered an elevator, back up to the BAU.

His phone buzzed again; it was Beth. Frowning, he was tempted to ignore the phone call but then he felt slightly guilty for breaking up with her. Maybe she was calling to apologize?

Answering the phone, he realized it was a mistake because the words coming out of her mouth were vile and vicious, not to mention very threateningly.

His anger level had finally reached to a tipping point; he cut her off and told her to not call him again. And hung up on her.

Stepping off the elevator, he tried to calm himself but he still felt hot. Before he made his way up to the conference room, he went to the men's; hopefully it would give him time to quell his anger against Beth.

As he gripped the edge of the sink, he stared at himself in the mirror.

Maybe he should be more patient and understanding with Beth. _She is still new in this relationship. She had hinted that she was ready for the next step; to meet Jack._

Not anymore. It was over between him and Beth. So, there was no longer any need for her to meet Jack.

He sighed with relief; Jack would never know.

He couldn't imagine what would happen if Jack had known, and now that that relationship was over, he was glad he didn't have to talk to his son about Beth no longer being part of their lives.

It was time to close that chapter.

His temper calmed, he left the restroom and headed towards the conference room. At the door, he paused and looked at Emily.

Here was a woman who was smart, intelligent, and beautiful. Someone with whom he shared many similar traits. She understood him. She knew what he was going through every day. If she were not his subordinate, he thought that she would have made an ideal companion and partner. There was also her uncanny talent with children. Jack had taken to her easily; he talked to her as if they had known each other for a long while. It all boiled down to his son. Who was best for him.

Emily Prentiss.

Why couldn't they be together?

Rules. There were rules and there were rules. Right now, they were stacked against them.

"Hey Hotch, are you coming in or do you plan on becoming part of the door frame?" Emily spoke, her back still towards him; how did she know?

Instead of replying, he walked in and took his seat.

"Found anything?" he asked as he picked up another file.

"No. But I am looking at this interview from one of the victims' neighbor. He claimed he heard a banging noise around the time the victim was shot."

Hotch arched his brow, waiting for her to continue.

"Someone had annotated in a penned-in note on the bottom; that neighbor wore a hearing aid."

He was thinking of the circumstances; the murder happened in the early morning hours, he would be sleeping. Presumably, he took his hearing aid out; he wouldn't be able to hear anything at all. Ergo, he was not credible at all.

"We have a problem here then; how did we miss that notation?" He asked.

Emily shrugged.

"We need to go back to Illinois as soon as possible." Hotch figured as he read the notation himself.

"When is as soon? We are not going tomorrow?"

He shook his head, "I want to be there by this evening."

Emily arched her brows, "That means we're leaving…now?"

Hotch nodded, "I think we may have missed something in the first crime scene."

Emily nodded; she had come to that conclusion a moment ago.

"You're packed to leave? I'm planning on getting on the plane in about half an hour."

Again, Emily nodded, he needn't have to ask; they were always ready.

As they stood up to pack the files, Hotch's phone buzzed again. Seeing his pinched expression, she knew it was Beth calling again.

Emily wished she knew what was going on with him and his girlfriend. Then again, it would be better if she didn't know.

Instead of leaving the conference room to take the call, he stayed put.

It was mortifying for Emily trying to block out the sound of his phone call. Then, he did the unexpected; he switched his phone on to speaker phone. He put it down on the table while he continued to pack. And Beth kept on talking.

Emily gestured to him, that she should leave the room so he could have some privacy, although him switching on to speaker mode made no sense to her until Hotch shook his head and held his hand out to stop her from leaving.

Frowning, she studied him. What was going on?

Less than a minute later, she had her answer; Beth was trying to make Hotch feel guilty about his lack of contributing to their relationship, and to Emily's amazement, Beth began to cuss him out. Obviously, Hotch wanted a witness to Beth's melt-down because she had threatened him.

Apparently, Beth had something 'incriminating' against Hotch and threatened to tell his team about it.

Hotch glared at his phone hard, he had stopped packing the files as he stood up and shook his head. He was about to say something to Beth when Emily waved her hands, getting his attention and shook her head; telling him to not say anything.

She wrote something on the note pad quickly and showed it to Hotch, it read 'Are you recording this? And don't say anything in anger…self incriminating.'

Hotch nodded. It was recording the one-sided conversation.

"…damn you, Aaron! You know what you are? A coward! A fucking coward. You don't have the balls to ask me out. I was the one to do so. I was the one initiating everything that involves us. How could anyone think you're great? Oh wait, your beloved team! They think your shit smells like roses! Especially that bitch Emily Prentiss!"

Emily stared hard at Hotch's phone. She was incredulous that this Beth had included her in her ranting.

If she were to be standing right in this room, Emily thought that she would have taken her out with a few swipes.

When a hand came down on her shoulder, Emily almost yelped out loud, but it was Hotch's hand. He had come around the table and stood beside her, assuring her that he was here.

Together, they stood side by side, looking at Hotch's phone as it spewed out more ugly words and threats.

"…Hello? Aaron? You there? Or are you busily screwing your fellow agent, that snooty bitch? Hello?"

After a moment's silence Hotch finally spoke. Very calmly, he said, "Beth, I think you should stop where you are before you are going to regret what you said. Nothing is happening. But it's no longer your concern what I do anymore. As I have told you earlier, we are through. Please don't call me anymore."

"Or what?" Emily gasped softly at the lady's brashness.

"No Beth, it's over. Take care and best wishes to you." He reached over to the phone and quickly punched the 'end' button.

Emily sat down abruptly, "Wow. She actually threatened you."

He was silent. She could tell he was extremely angry and embarrassed that it had come down to this.

"Hotch, you should report this to…"

Hotch shook his head, "No."

"But…"

"No Prentiss. Just leave it."

Emily was about to protest again when she saw his expression; no more arguing.

Deflated, she slumped in the chair.

"Prentiss, I'm sorry that you heard her…rants. What she had implied about us…I'm sorry."

"No need for apologies, Hotch, think nothing of it."

"Thanks, but I still want to apologize."

Just then, Hotch's phone buzzed again. He was tempted to throw the phone across the room when he happened to glance at the screen; it was Henning PD.

Answering the phone, Hotch spent about the next five minutes listening. When he ended the call, he turned to Emily, "It's over. They caught the real serial killer. It was the deaf neighbor."

Emily's eyes widened, "The deaf man? He's the serial killer?"

Hotch nodded.

He began to explain to her that the police was dispatched to a house invasion, reported by a diligent neighbor. The intruder was none other than the deaf man and after entering his fingerprints; their data-base pinged with a match on the print found on one of the victims' bedpost.

Case closed.

"Well Hotch, I guess we don't have to split the team after all." Emily stood up and began packing again.

"Yeah. It's a good thing. Thank you for coming in today."

Emily smiled, "Not a problem. It's not as if I have any plans today anyway."

Hotch watched her as she continued to pack and it hit him; _she's the one._

_She's the one._

He stopped packing the files, and was stunned by his own revelation.

But she was also his co-worker.

"So, are you going to call him? For dinner?" Hotch asked.

Emily stopped packing and looked at Hotch, "I'm not sure. I mean I don't have any plans so going out to dinner with him would be … convenient." She shrugged her shoulders as she tried to make the statement sound casual...

But, as usual, he read her like a book, "But? I sense a 'but'."

Emily grinned slightly; how well he knew her. If only it was possible for them. _Oh heck! No! Gotta move on!_

She couldn't side-step Hotch; he would ferret it out of her, so honesty would be the best course.

"I guess I've come to a point of weariness when it comes to dating."

Hotch arched his eyebrow; he wanted to know what she meant by the statement.

Her shoulders slumped, "The usual steps to take to get to know a complete stranger, to tell him the truth of what I do for a living and wonder if it's going to gross him out or worse, ask to see my gun. It gets a bit too much, So many times, I wanted to get out of a date by the time we finish our appetizers."

"So many times?" Hotch asked in amazement; just how many dates has she been to? And by the sound of it, too many wrong dates, too many disappointments. He felt his heart lurched with compassion but he knew that if he spoken that aloud, she would give him a tongue lashing, telling him that she didn't need his pity.

Emily chuckled and nodded.

Before his mind gave it any further thoughts, he blurted, "Okay, how about going to dinner with me? At least you already know about me, and vice versa. We don't have to play 100 questions."

Emily's jaws dropped, she stared at him for a while, Hotch was beginning to feel hot under the collar; _did I just make a dumb-ass mistake?_

"Uh…you don't have to…" He tried to recant his invitation, figuring he would be the last person she would want to hang out with.

"I'd love to, Hotch." She quickly accepted.

Slightly stunned, he smiled nonetheless. And found himself looking forward to it. A hell of a lot.

Emily smiled as she saw his smile. He meant it! He really wanted her to have dinner with him.

Of course, the first thing that slammed into her mind was; _what should I wear?_

Flirty outfits were out of the questions. She didn't want to appear too forward; he was her supervisor after all!

"Any place in mind? A favorite restaurant?" He asked.

Emily thought for a while and every restaurant that came to mind she shot it down. Finally, she said, "How about coming to my place. It's been a long time since I have a real home cooked food."

Hotch watched her. He too had not had a good home cooked meal at all. "You can cook?"

Emily chortled, "Yes, I can cook. Spent my early teens with some of the best chefs of the world."

"I guess being the daughter of an ambassador has its perks."

Emily stopped smiling for the moment, "In a way. There were not many things to do that didn't require constant security around you. The kitchens were always a safe haven for me. The chefs were very tolerant especially when you know their weaknesses."

Hotch's eyebrows rose.

Emily laughed when she saw his expression, "It's not anything bad. After all their backgrounds were screened very finely. You should know, you have done a tour as the ambassador's security detail."

"Ah yes. Now I remembered meeting a very young dark-haired lady in the kitchen at your mother's resident. I thought you were part of the staff and wondered at your lack of proper attire."

"Excuse me! You were so severe that if I were a staff member, I would be fired there and then. You were brutal to the staff! But you had to and I remembered how you found out that one of the gardeners was a former militant. I was pretty impressed with your tenacity."

"Tenacity," he grinned. "That's all you remember me back then?"

"Oh, among many others. Stalwart, loyal, précised, and many admirable qualities."

"You're sounding more like your mother now. That's what she wrote on the letter of recommendation when my tour was over."

"Yes, she was really impressed with you and wished you were part of her permanent staff."

"Really?"

She nodded.

They were silent for a while and Emily shyly asked, "So, how about dinner at 7pm?"

"Sounds great. Anything I can contribute?"

"Yes, I ate my last carton of Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Therapy."

"Um, Chocolate Therapy?"

"Lots of chocolate goodies in it. Trust me, you'll like it too."

Hotch smiled slowly, "Okay, two pints of B&J Chocolate Therapy for desert tonight. What about main course? What are you preparing?"

"Oh, I'm not going to tell you now. You'll just have to show up to find out."

"Hmm, surprise home cook dinner. Surprisingly, I'm actually looking forward to it."

Emily laughed, "You won't be sorry." She began to pack the folders again and Hotch did likewise to his files.

Five minutes later, they were done. They walked out of the conference room together. Emily's heart was thrumming with excitement; she thought it would never happen, a dinner date with Aaron Hotchner. But she stopped thinking further ahead; it was only going to be a dinner. They didn't mention anything about it being a date. She willed herself to be patient and let things happen as they will. Rules or not.

Hotch was feeling excited. He was looking forward to being with Emily. He hated the comparison but he didn't feel the same way he did when he went out with Beth on their first date. First date. Would this be considered as their first date? He quelled his anxieties; after all, it wasn't as if they were strangers. No, he knew Emily much more than he realized and he suspected that she knew a lot about him than he thought. They seemed to work great together so he figured personally; they would hit it off even better. Rules be damned!

Walking to the garage, to their vehicles, Hotch spoke, "So, what's it like, kissing the Captain of the USS Enterprise?"

Startled but smiling widely, she shook her head, "First off, it was a dare from JJ and Garcia. Second he is not Jean-Luc Picard. Thirdly, the kiss was okay. Fourth and lastly, I'm very impressed you know your Star Trek characters."

"Trust me, it was not by choice. When you spent many days out on consults and seminars with Reid, you picked up on his idiosyncrasies." Then he held his hand up when he saw she was about to say something. "Not that Star Trek is an idiosyncrasy, the original series and latter series were great but becoming fanatical about it? I'm not that person. And Reid is very persuasive."

Emily laughed, "Yes he is. Luckily I share some of his idiosyncrasies so it's not so bad for me to spend time with him."

Hotch gave her a look that Emily saw was not Hotch but more personal as he said, "I'll remember that when I pick a partner for him in long trips."

Emily smacked her forehead, "Eck! I just walked into it, didn't I?"

"The truth and nothing but the truth."

She eyed him wryly, "Don't play lawyer on me, Hotch. You know I don't like them at all."

He grinned, "I know now. And point taken."

They nodded at each other and Emily called out, reminding him about the ice cream. He shook his head, "Heaven forbids if I did. Yes ma'am, I won't forget the ice cream."

"Thank you! I'll see you at 7 then." She waved as she climbed into her vehicle.

Hotch waved back as he watched her drive out of the garage. He was still smiling as he got into his vehicle and drove out as he followed her out.

…The End…

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And so, what do you think? Let me know!

Thank you to all!

Lizzie


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